Image for representation purposes only A Russian Navy frigate fired warning shots near a British-flagged yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday after what both Russian and British authorities described as an effort to prevent a possible collision. The incident involved the Russian warship Admiral Grigorovich and the UK-registered yacht Bright Future about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight in international waters. No injuries or damage were reported, and the yacht continued its journey. According to Russia’s Defence Ministry, the yacht was on a course that could have brought it dangerously close to the frigate. The ministry said the warship’s crew tried several times to contact the yacht by radio and also fired signal flares, but received no response. It said warning shots were then fired ahead of the yacht’s path, after which the vessel altered course. Britain’s Ministry of Defence also confirmed that warning shots were fired, but said they were not aimed at the yacht. The MoD said the shots were intended to prevent a possible collision after attempts to contact the vessel failed. The incident comes amid increased monitoring of Russian naval activity in the English Channel, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes and a key gateway for trade and energy shipments moving between the Atlantic and Northern Europe. The Admiral Grigorovich was being monitored by the Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Mersey at the time of the incident. A boat from HMS Tyne was later sent to check on the welfare of the yacht’s crew. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the firing of warning shots as “reckless” and said the incident should not have happened. The British couple aboard the yacht later described the experience as “surreal”. Jane and Alan Kelvey said they first heard five blasts from the warship’s horn, a signal asking whether another vessel has seen them. “We immediately turned two degrees to port